“Newsom Catches Heat for Using Climate Funds on Drinking Water Plan,” KQED

Jun 19, 2019

In an article on the use of cap-and-trade revenues to pay for clean drinking water, Kevin Stark of KQED spoke with Near Zero’s Danny Cullenward.

Danny Cullenward, an energy economist and a member of the cap-and-trade oversight committee, said the new plan marks a “real shift,” and not for the good.

“We are moving towards something that very clearly is not about climate,” he said. “It’s about water quality and it’s about water access. It’s not really about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

The Newsom administration originally argued the expenditure on the water plan is in compliance with the cap-and-trade directive because trucks will no longer have to deliver bottled water to people whose tap water is undrinkable, and so will reduce emissions.
Cullenward, who in addition to being on the cap-and-trade oversight committee is the policy director for the climate group Near Zero, said that’s a stretch.

“This is getting much closer to the line, if it’s not over the line,” he said.